News, reviews and more
The leaves have been falling for weeks and weeks, and I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been rather neglectful with the broom. Still, it’s never too late for a bit of a tidy up. What follows is a selection of the most golden and honeyed Canadian musical beauties to have drifted our way in the last couple of months. Sorry it’s taken us so long.
Read MoreThe RGM inbox returns with a typically eclectic selection of music for you, dear reader, to explore. We’ve a country cover tune by a Ska related duo and a pop-punk band from New Orleans both of whom have great videos for you to check out and that’s just for starters. Add a NYC singer-songwriter who played with the New York Dolls and now contributes to Anime soundtracks and another singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland returning to music after a fifteen year break spent winning awards as a tattooist. I did mention the selection was eclectic? There’s much to enjoy in the October edition of the RGM Inbox.
Read MoreGuaranteed to brighten your day is ‘Good Strong Woman’ from Keb’ Mo’. The single featuring Darius Rucker is from his upcoming album ‘Good To Be’ and is one of three tracks from the album co-produced by Vince Gill. The album was written between Nashville and Compton merging country, blues, soul and geographical influences. Other guests on the album include Old Crow Medicine Show and Kristin Chenoweth. The video for ‘Good Strong Woman’ was released today (October 14th) and it’s full of positivity and good vibes. More about Keb’ Mo’ and the upcoming album follows:
Read MoreLisa Lambe first came to the attention of RGM in April of 2020 when we featured ‘Juniper’ the second solo album from the Irish singer/songwriter/actress. The record felt intimate yet expansive, a perfect fit as we struggled through the pressures of the lockdown. I’m pleased to report that Lisa has been busy with album number three, ‘Wild Red’ set for release on November 11th 2021. Recorded with producer Wayne Sheehy at his studio in West Cork, fans are in for a treat as ‘Wild Red’ is (spoiler alert) glorious. We’ll have much more about ‘Wild Red’ upcoming here at RGM but, in the meantime, a little more about Lisa Lambe and ‘Wild Red’ follows:
Read MoreHello again, dear readers. The Canadian musical harvest has been as rich as ever this year and we’re here to share with you the best of a bumper crop. Take a seat with us at the Maple Leaf table and sample some of the lesser-known fare from over there in the Great White North. We do listen to music from all territories but, clearly, Ontario has had the best weather this year....
Read MoreWelcome to the latest edition of the RGM Inbox, an occasional feature where we shine a light on a quartet of artists worthy of your time. Some names you might know, some you might not, but either way, it’ll all be good.
Read MoreAt the risk of repeating myself, I must say that there is an astonishing wealth of Canadian talent out there right now. I use the word ‘wealth’ there, in the Besos and Musk sense. Seriously though, Canada, it is a bit embarrassing. Unlike the uber-rich, here at RGM we believe that there’s more than enough gold to go round, so we make a point of sharing with you a regular selection of tunes that may not otherwise have reached your ears. I use the word ‘regular’ there, loosely of course (our Canadian office is woefully understaffed at present) but we do our best to see that these musicians do not go untrumpeted. We’re certain you’ll find something to dig here and, when you do, we hope you’ll tell your pals.
Read MoreRGM’s occasional look at the world of collectable vinyl returns with Re-Skinned from Snakefarm Records an ongoing series that looks to re-visit classic Country, Blues, Americana and Southern Rock albums. The Re-Skinned titles will feature brand new sleeve-notes, vibrantly coloured vinyl (hot pink and orange are the colours this time out) and “audio specially prepared for vinyl”, Today’s recipients of this enhanced reissue treatment are Southern Rockers .38 Special, a terrific band who added a dash of AOR to their Southern Rock influences and enjoyed considerable chart success with their ‘Wild-Eyed Southern Boys’ and ‘Special Forces’ albums now set for reissue on July 30th 2021. More details about Snakefarm Re-Skinned and .38 Special follow:
Read MoreYou have reached The Hard Place. A place where the hair is just a shade more voluminous. A place where the trousers are, on average, two belt holes tighter. A place wherein it is perfectly normal for guitars to begin spontaneously spewing fireworks. Or lightning. Or both. We bring you the choicest, freshest cuts of retro-metal on offer. And, in a scene where wrongness so often prevails, The Hard Place offers a distillation of all that is currently right with the world of melodic hard rock. Quite a lot of it is, as you might expect, from Sweden.
Read MoreAugust 20th will see the release of a mammoth limited edition (2500) 37 disc set from English progressive rock act Caravan. The members of Caravan were at the centre of what would become known as the Canterbury scene. Canterbury in Kent proved to be a hotbed of musical activity in the 1960s and produced a host of artists who would enjoy success in the years that followed including Steve Hillage, Kevin Ayers and Robert Wyatt. Despite all these well-known artists, it’s Caravan that has become synonymous with the Canterbury scene via their sound which incorporated elements of progressive rock, jazz, pop, folk and psych.
Read MoreWelcome to the latest edition of the RGM Inbox with an emphasis on all things country. This feature is designed to show there’s much more to country music than big hats, and to highlight the range of good music that resides in the country section of your local record store (if you’re lucky enough to have a local record store). In this issue, we’ve got a couple of Canadian artists ready to rub shoulders with those Nashville folks while one of the biggest new names in country music is looking back on his alt-rock roots and a nice slice of country-pop from a Nashville based artist rounds out this latest edition of the Country Inbox.
Read MoreAre you looking for new and interesting music? Well, if so, you’ve come to the right place. The latest Inbox feature from RGM has music from both sides of the Atlantic and a detour to visit our friends in Australia. The journey was most worthwhile as we unearthed some great new music and a demonstration of a cover tune done right. Check it out and we’ll be back very soon with more musical gems.
Read MoreWelcome back to The Maple Leaf, RGM’s roundup of the freshest and finest tunage from Canada. By way of atoning for a longer absence than usual, we’re offering you a special double-helping of new music across the genres. Everyone is welcome here at RGM and we like to think we can spot a keeper, however it’s dressed. We hope you enjoy what you hear and that you’re inspired to take a deeper dive into some of this edition’s featured artists.
Read MoreThe first country edition of the RGM Inbox was really well received so we’re back with another collection of country artists to check out. This edition features a range of music from acts that are more than happy to embrace the past and keep things old school to artists firmly in the modern Nashville mainstream. Which style do you prefer?
Read MoreWith the resurgence in vinyl sales in recent years, the humble record is back and seemingly here to stay. With this in mind, RGM takes a look at some recent and upcoming releases for those who love the sound or possibly just need the images to be bigger as we’re getting older and a CD sized booklet presents a problem. Please read on for releases by Downes Braide Association, Ali Maas & Micky Moody and League Of Lights.
Read MoreSpring is springing and the birds are singing. As, indeed, are the singers and songwriters of Canada. In this, the latest edition of the Maple Leaf, we take you on a short walk across this blossoming landscape, and invite you to enjoy some of the bright new shoots that have been emerging along the way.
Read MoreEver since big-haired hard rock was criminalised in the spring of 1993, those with a medical dependency on the genre have found it increasingly difficult to know where to turn. Thankfully, for these broken and desperate souls there is finally a sanctuary. No longer must they endlessly search for misfiled contraband in the planet’s fourteen remaining record shops. No longer do they need to be sat in front of eBay, fruitlessly entering euphemistic search terms like “perm noise” in the hope that they might score a forbidden fix. No longer. These unfortunate creatures – perhaps you are one of them – now have a refuge and that refuge is The Hard Place. Welcome, friend. Here, finally, you are understood. Everything you are about to sample is pure rock of the highest quality. And, best of all, it’s all legal.
Read MoreDo you like country music? It’s a simple question but very hard to answer as, probably more than any other genre, country music absorbs whatever is happening musically on the pop charts. With this in mind, pop-country has ruled the roost in recent times with mixed results. Thankfully those annoying finger snaps and hip-hop influenced beats are slowly disappearing and a grittier more traditional approach to storytelling can always be found. My taste is more geared towards songs delivered via Southern/Country Rock/Americana acts, while I’ll always have a soft spot for the records my parents played when I was growing up by Johnny Cash, Don Williams, Crystal Gayle etc. I guess I’m lucky as my tastes are quite wide. What about you? It’s possible as RGM covers a host of musical genres that you don’t listen to country and stumbled upon this post accidentally in which case here are four recent/upcoming releases that might be of interest to get you started.
Read MoreThe RGM Inbox returns with another selection of new music for those of you looking to expand your musical horizons. As usual, we’ll be mixing up our genres with ambient classical guitar rubbing shoulders with alternative rock, electronica and a little something for those of a more pop persuasion.
Read MoreJoni Mitchell, Daniel Lanois, Alanis Morissette… Justin Bieber. Canada’s rich and varied musical heritage clearly has a trickle-down effect, as music of a consistently high calibre pours in abundance from its shores. Here at RGM, we shine a light on the best new Canadian music we can find, not just in the hope we’ll unearth the next Sarah McLachlan but also because we believe there’s something in the water over there that makes the music extra special. We hope you find something here, in the latest Maple Leaf roundup, to love as much as we do.
Read More